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Rays electric outfielder continues to impress this spring

Chandler Simpson has the chance to become a uniquely talented player at the major league level, with a fun blend of speed and contact (but absolutely no power).
ByCarter Brantley|
Simpson has to continue to show a positive adjustment to center field in order to fully capitalize on his potential.
Simpson has to continue to show a positive adjustment to center field in order to fully capitalize on his potential. | Stacy Revere/GettyImages

Did you see that catch Saturday?

It was like he flew through the air to haul in a potential extra base hit, and then got up and was as pumped up as all get out. 

Chandler Simpson continues to show why he’s such an exciting young prospect in the Rays system, with an excellent performance Saturday that for people talking about him potentially making the Opening Day roster. 

That might be a bit ambitious, and Jonny DeLuca still has enough upside to hold down the CF job for now, but Simpson doing what he did certainly made people dream on his upside. 

Jonny DeLuca
JDL still figures to be a major contributor at the center field position for 2025, but moving forward Simpson could make some serious noise if he's able to continue his productive ways at the plate. | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

Which is something to be happy about, even if he ends up in AA or AAA to start the season (which is totally fine). 

What can get Simpson to fulfill that tantalizing potential is mostly, like almost every other fun prospect, his bat, but also his glove out in center. 

That’s a broad, general statement, so to be more specific, it’s his ability to get on base that can turn him from fun pinch runner to elite, All-Star center fielder. 

Luckily for Simpson, if he’s able to turn into a good defensive center fielder, his offensive production could be a whole lot less vital, as if his defensive ability takes enough of a step forward, whatever he produces on offense is sort of icing on the cake. 

2024 was an excellent year for Simpson at the plate though, with a 141 wRC+ over 78 games in AA. 

He also managed a sterling .410 OBP over his time in the minors between A+ and AA last year, showing encouraging signs of that high contact rate and hopefully what’s becoming an advanced approach at the plate. 

His baserunning is always going to be a massive plus, so that gives him a good starting point as a potential super sub. 

It’s just those other things that have to come along for him to make the impact everyone is hoping he’s able to, but his first 2 Spring Training games were a strong showing for the former Georgia Tech man. 

His 3-4 results are a very fun start, and while still a microscopic sample, it’s Spring Training; getting unrealistically enthusiastic about prospects is what this time of year is all about. 

So dream on Simpson and all of his upside, but let’s not be too angry if he’s sent down to AA or AAA to continue to work on his craft to start the season. 

He’s still only 24, and the Rays have plenty of other options for center. 

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